Sight
by Window.Of.Dreams
Summary: "What other ways can you see without your eyes?" The boy looks at her with an expressionless face. "You can see the world with your hands, you can see people through your heart and you can see time with your ears." She says looking at the boy's hands.
1. Different Sights

**Disclaimer: Oh how I wish. Maybe in an alternate universe, but in this one, this genius belongs to Tachibana Sensei.**

Gray clouds decorate the sky as a short girl with messy brown locks ran down the block splashing her feet in rain puddles in her haste. She stopped near a yellow house with a rose garden which seemed muddy due to the rainy week.

"Mikan, darling, how are you?" And old woman with wrinkles and laugh lines marring her face asks the short girl who smiles brightly at her.

"I'm good, Dad wanted me to give you these pears; they're ripe and fresh from the garden." The girl holds out a bag.

"Oh how wonderful. Why don't you come in? I'll make some scones and tea for us?" The woman says walking towards the door to the yellow house.

"I'd love to, but I'm in a hurry, I'm on my way to see mom." The girl says as she looks down at the broken watch on her wrist to indicate the time.

The old woman gives the girl a sad smile, "Alright, next time then. Thank your Dad from me and be sure to come back before dark!" The old woman yells as the girl has already started running off again.

The wide eyed girl waves her arm as indication that she heard the woman's calls but doesn't stop running. She splashes through more puddles and runs faster as the familiar white building comes to view not stopping until she's in front of the glass doors to catch her breath.

She walks through the familiar hallways and smiles at the people who greet her. She takes the elevator and stops at the highest floor just short of the roof of the building. There are only two rooms here.

She stops outside the door of the room and takes a deep breath then smiles brightly and enters the room gallantly.

"Hey Mom!" The girl chirps and settles down on the chair next to the bed where a beautiful woman with the same brown hair as the girl beside her lays.

"Guess what? I got the highest in school again! It was close this time. Remember that guy, Yuu Tobita who I told you about? Yeah he was only short of two points! He's really smart." At some point while she talked the girl reached out and took her mother's hand in hers.

"Hotaru says hi, she wanted to come but got held back because of some technical support group visiting school. She says she'll definitely come next week." The girl rants on as she puts her mother's hand on her cheek and closes her eyes while the woman laying on the bed stays still, the only indication that she's alive coming from the regular beeping of the computer she's strapped to.

As hours pass and the girl continues to talk to a woman who may or may not hear her, somewhere close by, a boy with deep red eyes and raven black hair runs from a fire that engulfs his house.

"Alright, that will be all for today. Make sure to start on the personal narrative that's half your grade this semester, its due in two weeks and avoiding it till the last minute and giving me a half-baked essay won't get you a good grade." A woman in her mid thirties wearing 3-inch heels addresses her class. As she starts packing up, the students start milling out of the room eager to get home.

"And where do you think you're rushing to?" A girl with amethyst eyes and matching purple hair grabs the back of the girl with brown locks twisted into a low bun.

The girl turns and grins at the girl with the intimidating purple eyes, accustomed to her cold personality. "I'm heading home, Hotaru. I have to get to the hospital early since they close Mom's room early on Fridays."

"Anna wanted to go to the new cake shop that opened on Main Street. You should come." The girl, Hotaru says with an expressionless face but with worried marred in her beautiful eyes.

"I can't today, maybe next time. Sorry." The short girl with brown eyes starts walking ahead.

"Mikan." Hotaru stops her with a hand on her shoulder. Reluctantly, the girl turns to her again, "Hotaru please, I really am in a hurry."

"I know. That's the problem, you don't ever relax. You're an honors student, you work six times a week and any free time you have, you spend it in a hospital room. When was the last time you ate something for lunch other than a protein bar?" The girl pins Mikan down with her eyes.

Mikan sighs, "Hotaru, you're worrying needlessly, I promise I'll eat a full meal for lunch today, ok? Now please can I go?"

Hotaru knew she hadn't answered her question and that only gave confirmation to her notion but she let the girl go with a heavy sigh knowing that she can't do anything when her best friend was set on something. She was far too stubborn.

BEEP BEEP BEEP. An ambulance wailed loudly as Mikan turned the familiar corner towards the hospital. Too tired to run this time, Mikan walked slowly towards the hospital not wanting to run out of breath and be panting in her mother's room. As she walked inside, she was struck by the tense and stressful atmosphere as she watched a gurney zip pass her and nurses discuss the situation and report to the doctors. It wasn't her first time coming across this view but each time she experienced it, her heart lurches and speeds up as a foreboding sense of Déjà vu comes over her of another time in this exact same place where she was doing the same exact thing. Watching. Watching the spectacle play in front of her eyes as she stood powerless on the sidelines and the doctors moved her mother's damaged body through the double doors that led to surgery.

Just like now.

As she watched, she caught a flash of raven hair and a masculine body on the gurney which brought her back to her senses. It was a boy. A stranger, not her mom. Her mother was fine. She will be fine. Mikan watched as the body along with the doctors and a dozen nurses disappeared then she numbly made her way to the elevator that would take her to her mother's room.

"So I told Sumire to-" Mikan was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." She said tersely not happy at being cut off.

"Sorry to disrupt you Ms. Sakura, but we need to take a few of your mom's blood samples for the lab test." It was an old doctor with friendly blue eyes. Sighing Mikan got up and started packing her things knowing that this was the hospital's nice way of saying to get lost already. She kissed her mother's forehead and said goodbye, promising to come back again tomorrow.

As she made her way towards the elevator to go back down, she was stopped by a nurse with familiar red hair and hazel eyes. "Hey Misaki!" Mikan greeted with a cheery grin.

"Hey Hon, how have you been?" Misaki gave her a beatific smile.

"I'm good, how are you? And how's Tsubasa Senpei? I'm going to kill him for not coming over as much anymore." Misaki laughed good naturedly, "Oh he really wants to but he's stressed with the baby and everything." She says and unconsciously puts a hand to her gigantic belly.

"Right, I almost forgot. How is the baby? You're starting your eight month soon right?"

"Yeah, in three days." Misaki exhaled nervously and then looked back to Mikan with a worried expression, "I actually came to check up on you, the hospital record shows you're two months late on the fee?"

Mikan flinched before she could stop herself. "Yeah, Dad's been working really hard and he'll get his paycheck by the end of next week and I should be getting mine by the end of this month," Mikan looks away as tears start springing in her eyes, "God, this is embarrassing."

Misaki's face softens and she says tenderly, "Sweetheart, you don't have to be embarrassed about this. Tsubasa is so against you working and to be honest I'm not too happy about it either. You know we don't mind helping out, right? We're practically family with how long we've known each other."

Mikan blinks away the tears and smiles, "I know and I'm grateful for that but I can't possibly ask that of you with the baby. Besides, I think we'll manage well for now."

Misaki smiles and puts a hand on the younger girl's shoulder feeling the burden she carries alone. Knowing she can't do anything for this girl who grew up too early she simply gives her arm a squeeze and silently sends a prayer her way that things start looking up.

And just as she wishes it, down the hall where a beautiful woman with long brown hair strapped to machines lying on a bed, twitches. Just the smallest of movement comes as her hand twitches upward and falls to her side. This goes unbeknownst to the doctor and nurses extracting blood and strapping the woman on IVs but the woman moved and even if no one notices the first movement that has happened after two years, the movement is a sign. A sign that holds much promise for the future.

"Please wait outside." The nurse with dark locks and cold blue eyes demands. She pushes Mikan out of the hospital room and shuts the door in her face. Feeling like a bad kid being reprimanded, Mikan has the strong urge to stick her tongue out at the closed door. But she holds herself back and sighs while moving down the hall.

It's Saturday afternoon and Mikan was quite content with doing her homework in her mother's room while occasionally ranting to her about her nonsensical math homework which was most likely invented by aliens as no on earth talks in 2n^5x. What were the alphabets doing in math anyway? It made no sense. But apparently the doctors didn't finish their lab report on her mother yesterday so they would be doing it today as well.

With nothing to do as her homework was also with her mother right now and she wasn't allowed inside, Mikan decided to get some lunch. But as she looked at the limited food menu in the Cafeteria she couldn't help but loose her appetite. Hospital food sucked. Nonetheless she had to get something in her stomach so she ordered a turkey sandwich and orange juice. It tasted like mud.

She would sit and eat it but after awhile her legs got tired of it so she threw away her half eaten sandwich and walked down the different corridors that looked identical to her. They all consisted of the same ivory walls, wooden floors and oil paintings. After a while of walking, it was official. She was lost. She made her way to the help desk nearby and caught snippets of the conversation that the young nurses there were having.

"…Did you see his eyes? To die for…"

"I know right…I felt his skin and it was smoother than mine…"

"God he was beautiful…Do you think he's single?..."

Mikan cleared her throat to catch their attention, "Excuse Me?"

They both looked up at her in irritation, no doubt unhappy about being interrupted in their fascinating conversation.

"How may I help you?" The taller of the two asked in a professional tone.

"Umm, I lost my way; can you direct me to the 22nd floor, Yuka Yukihira's room?" They both exchanged a look and then the other one spoke, "No one but the staff is allowed there."

"No, you see, my mother is a comatose patient so she's getting intensive care over their." She reasons, mentally kicking herself for not just asking them where the closest elevator is.

"Ok, we are going to have to check with authorities," the nurse looks nervously at her friend who says, "just a minute now, don't move or we will call security since you may have breached and found classified information." What? Everyone on that floor knew that Mikan was allowed, being the daughter of that comatose patient. This is absurd; these nurses were clearly novices and knew nothing. Mikan starts inching away as the nurse starts dialing and the other one goes inside the staff room in the back to get some file. When there is a click on the other side of the phone line, she makes a run for it. The nurse on the phone yells for security and she looks behind her to see two men in uniform start running after her.

Mikan runs through different hallways and makes a sharp right, not knowing that this hall leads to a dead end. Crap.

She hears the two security guards behind her stop to catch their breath. "Which way did she go?" The taller of the two asks his friend, "I don't know, check that hallway, it's a dead end, and I'll go straight."

She hears footsteps come near as she scrambles and presses against the wall trying to melt against it in hopes of remaining undiscovered. Realizing that the wall is actually a door behind her she twists the knob and steps inside just as a figure emerges from the hallway that leads to her. She stands next to the door and listens for footsteps. They come closer and closer and just when she's sure that they will find her the footsteps start fading away.

She sighs in relief and slumps against the door. It isn't until she hears a soft gasp does she realize she's not the only one in the room. She tenses her shoulders and turns around slowly only to get her breath knocked out of her. There sitting on a white bed with covers thrown back is the most beautiful boy Mikan has ever seen in her life. He sits still like a statue basking in the golden day light looking in her direction. His perfect features pulled in concentration as he moves his head around, looking lost.

"Whose there?" He says loudly looking towards the general direction of the door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I was just leaving actually." She says still gawking at the beautiful boy unable to look away. He looks to her but something about his gaze seems off, it seems almost as though he's not looking at her, but trying to find her even as he stares at her across the room.

He sits straight and pulls his chin up, something about that gesture makes Mikan smile, for even if he was sick in a hospital bed the boy seemed to be emitting an arrogance that came with beautiful boys who knew of their charm.

"Hand me the fruit plate." He says in a voice that could melt glaciers. Mikan blinks in surprise and stands still for a moment, then mechanically walks up to the counter by the bed and picks up the fruit plate staring at it like it's a foreign invader. She walks up to the boy and hands him the fruit plate. The boy reaches for it and frowns "Put it in my hands." He says softly. She obliges and puts it in his hands with confusion in her eyes. He looks up at her and conveys his gratitude but at this point Mikan can't even breathe because his eyes are so beautiful and his features so immaculate that it makes her knees weak. His eyes were the color of blood but when he looks up, he doesn't look at her, but looks beside her as though he can't see where she is.

Mikan shifts on her feet awkwardly and then decides that her lunch break should come to an end now. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I'll be heading out now." She takes a step back as the boy brings up a strawberry from the fruit bowl to his mouth and drops it on the bed. Instead of picking it up, he starts patting his bed trying to find the strawberry as he looks ahead at the door.

Mikan's eyes burrow in confusion and she picks up the strawberry from the bed and puts it in his plate. The boy, though, continues to pat the area, unaware that the strawberry is back in the bowl. Mikan clears her throat and the boy freezes. "You're still here?" he asks her looking to his side. Mikan looks at him with worry, "Yeah, but are you alright? Do you want me to call the nurse for you?"

He shakes his head and mutters something that sounds like, "It's not like she can do anything." Mikan stands awkwardly not sure of what to do. The boy seems to sense this and asks of her, "Do you think you can feed me?" The question makes Mikan gape, what? But the boy was looking towards her with sincerity. She blanches but is unable to refuse the boy who looked helpless, "Sure, but are you okay?" She moves beside him and reaches for the fruit bowl.

He gives it to her and smirks, "Perfectly fine, unless you count the fact that I'm blind."

Mikan almost drops the fruit bowl, but she steadies herself, "Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Pry? Worry?"

"…agonize"

He smirks at her, "its fine, I'm still getting used to it, I haven't been blind for a whole 24 hours yet."

She stares at him, "You just turned blind? How?"

His lips twitch and she realizes that she's prying but he answers, "Aliens."

Mikan raises her eyebrows, "What?"

"No one is allowed to see aliens, they exist and if they know you know of them, they take away your sight. No one would believe what a blind man says about seeing anyway."

"I believe what blind people say."

The answer surprises the boy, "You do?"

Mikan picks up a grape with the silver fork and puts it by the boy's lips; he opens his mouth and eats the fruit. For some reason the gesture makes her blush furiously.

"Of course I believe them, being blind doesn't make you a liar, and there are other ways to see than through your eyes." She says and pokes a strawberry with the fork.

The boy regards her humorously again, "So you believe I saw aliens?"

Mikan shoves the strawberry in his mouth with unneeded force, "I didn't say I believe everything they say, but I would give them the same conviction as a seeing person."

A few moments of silence pass where the only noise is of the boy chewing softly on the fruit the girl besides him feeds to him.

Then suddenly Mikan asks, "Does it hurt?"

The boy looked like he was caught off guard, "Being blind? No. It's uncomfortable but no, there is no pain."

Mikan was quiet for a moment before, "Did it hurt…when you became blind."

She didn't ask about the way he became blind, but he understood, "Yeah, at first, but I could bear it, it was just pain, besides there was a fire and I just remember everything burning. I was never really afraid of fire."

Mikan looked at the boy's eyes. He was brave. And unconsciously she was starting to admire this boy.

They were both quiet for a while and then suddenly he broke the silence like he couldn't keep the question inside anymore.

"What other ways?" The boy says softly after a long pause.

Mikan blinks in surprise and confusion, pausing on her way to bring a strawberry to the boy. "What?"

"What other ways can you see without your eyes?" The boy looks at her with an expressionless face but she could see something deep buried in his eyes that started breaking away, scraping from the sides, the way one would scrap dry mud from old boots. She recognized the look; it was the same one she wore two years ago when the doctors said there was still a chance for her mother despite being in a coma.

It was hope.

She smiles tenderly and regards the boy softly and despite not being able to see this, the boy felt the air around him change and become gentle. Mikan put the fruit bowl on the counter and leaned closely and without thinking about it took the boys hands and brought it to her face. She had done this a hundred times with her mother; she put his palm to her cheek and leaned against. It was a silent gesture, and relayed a single thought, even if you can't see me, I'm here.

The girl smiled against the boy's hand and as the boy felt this, his heart sped up. On impulse, he started tracing her features, tenderly touching her eyes, the shape of her cheekbones, her button nose and her chin. When he came to her lips he stopped suddenly and then in boyish manner turned his head away and brought back his hands shyly. Mikan blushed a hundred different shades of red and looked away to collect her thoughts.

She looked to her right as the sun started dipping, "You may not be able to see the day, but you can still feel the sun's warmth." She paused, "We're blind to the sun as much as you are."

The boy reflexively turned towards the light and felt it's warmth on its face; he let out a deep sigh which sounded like it had been held for years. "I can see." He said as he closed his eyes and brought his hands up to feel the sun ray kiss them softly. Mikan smiled.

"You can see the world with your hands, you can see people through your heart and you can see time with your ears." She says looking at the boy's hands still basking in the sunlight; they were beautiful hands, long fingers and flawless nails. They were the hands of an artist.

The boy turned to her and smiled, it was a genuine smiled and it was beautiful, it took Mikan's breath away. Just as Mikan was about to ask for his name, the door behind her opened and they both turned as a nurse with red hair came inside. Recognition sparked in her eyes as she regarded Mikan with surprise and stopped in front of the bed.

"What are you doing here? Do you have any idea of the ruckus that you caused?" Misaki pierces her gaze at Mikan and talks in her chilling voice that always made Mikan feel like she was a bad kid who was caught ditching classes or causing class disruptions.

Mikan gulped, "Misaki, it wasn't my fault; I just asked them where mom's room was."

Misaki turned sharply, "You know that information is classified, you are damn lucky that I was there to fix the mess before they contacted the main hospital."

Mikan looked at the ground with guilt, "I-I'm sorry Misaki."

Misaki blew out a long breath and her gaze softened when she looked at Mikan's guilty form, "its fine kiddo, you have my number, if you get lost, tell me ok? Don't go asking other people. Goodness I'm going to have gray hair before I turn 30 because of you."

Mikan looked up and smiled softly, she was accustomed to Misaki's protectiveness and it made her heart fill with happiness to know someone cared so much for her.

"And just what were you doing in Natsume's room?" Misaki crosses her arms and looks at them both suspiciously.

Mikan stammered but it was the boy who came through, "She was outside my room and I needed help with the fruit bowl so I called her in." He said in an even voice. Mikan turned to him, surprised.

Misaki's eyes narrowed but she let it pass, she already had her fair share of yelling at Mikan, "Alright, well off with you, they finished your mom's test a million years ago, so you can go back to her room and Natsume dear, we have to take you for the MRI now." Mikan looked towards the boy, Natsume as Misaki said this; the boy's face held obvious annoyance and exasperation, it made Mikan wonder just how many tests the boy went through since he came here.

"There…there aren't any needles are there?" Natsume looked at Misaki with ill concealed fear. It made Mikan laugh out loud despite being in trouble with Misaki. Natsume jerked his head towards her and grimaced, Mikan couldn't stop giggling, "You're okay with a house of burning fire but you're afraid of needles."

"I don't like being touched. And needles make me feel like I've been violated." Natsume's face looked so grave that it made Mikan burst into a new fit of giggles. Natsume turned to her with annoyance but it quickly melted when he felt his bed shake with her laugh. His lips started twitching and he looked at her with amusement.

Misaki regarded them both with a wry smile, they both looked so happy despite their harsh circumstances and it was the first time she had seen Mikan so carefree since her mother's accident. Natsume, too, regarded everyone so coldly but with Mikan there seemed to be tenderness in his eyes.

And then all too soon the door opened and a nurse walked in with a wheel chair asking Misaki if she was done with the check up and if Natsume was ready for his scan. Natsume pressed his lips together and started getting up and reflexively Mikan reached for him. He twitched when they made contact but didn't pull away and walked towards the wheelchair.

When he was ready to go, he turned back towards Mikan and smirked, "See you tomorrow, Mikan." And then he was out the door and gone.

Mikan grinned after him, her heart speeding up at his use of her name. Never had her name sounded as good as they did coming from his lips. Her grin grew wider as she walked through the door and remembered his words. She never made any promise about tomorrow and nor did he but she knew that she would come tomorrow and the day after, and even the day afterwards. And that he would be there, waiting.

**A/N: Hi guys, this was really random and it came to me when I stayed over night at the hospital. I'm thinking about making it a two-shot but for now I'll leave it as a one shot.**


	2. Same Sight

**Disclaimer: I wish, but no.**

"That doesn't count."

"Yeah it does, you're the one not playing by the rules!"

"Don't be stupid, who says you can't go backwards?"

"Natsume its monopoly, there's only one way."

"Isn't a game about life? Who says people can't go back?"

Mikan groans in frustration as Natsume smirks and rolls the dice. When they stop rolling, he feels the bumps on them and mentally counts the numbers. Then he moves his car four steps and lands on the treasure chest. He feels around and picks up a card.

He frowns as he runs his hand over the card. "I can't tell how much money I get, I know I get money but my numbers are still no good." He looks at the card despondently.

"Let me see the translation." Mikan takes the card from him and reads out loud. "Pick up 175$."

Natsume smirks and feels around for the money. The two teenagers continue to play the board game in Braille until one of them wins and four hours go by.

"I win. Pay up ugly." Natsume grins smugly at the brown girl who frowns at him.

"You don't even know how I look like." She says defensively.

"I felt your face. You're either really ugly or really pretty, so I guessed ugly."

"Well, I'm drop dead gorgeous," Mikan takes out the strawberry pudding from her bag and hands it to him.

His face lightens up as his hands close around the circular object, Mikan though displeased, can't help but feel herself get happy at his endearing reaction over the dessert. "Who would've thought the great Natsume Hyuga would love such a girly dessert?"

He doesn't stop eating his pudding as he answers with a full mouth, sounding uncharacteristically cute, "Apparently Natsume Hyuga also plays monopoly and cheats to get strawberry pudding." He turns to her, "Look at what you've done to me."

Mikan giggles and it makes Natsume smile despite himself, he covers it by taking a mouthful of the delicacy.

"You know you can start off learning Braille like a normal person instead of playing monopoly." Mikan says as she turns half heartedly to her reading assignment, _Walden in the Woods._

"I'm not going to read children's book in Braille if that's what you mean. Besides, having fun is the most effective way to learn. That reminds me, next week we start scramble. He says finishing his dessert.

Mikan narrows her eyes, "Do you even know enough words in Braille to play scramble?"

"Braille isn't a language stupid; it's just a different way to write in English." Natsume looks at the empty pudding cup sadly.

Mikan rolls her eyes and takes out another pudding cup. She opens it and hands it to him, taking the first one out of his hands. He turns to her but instead of saying thanks he simply smirks in her direction. She smiles back, knowing that's the closest she's going to get to a thank you from Natsume.

"You know you're always talking when you come here, I don't hear you doing your homework and you stay for a pretty long time." He turns to her suspiciously, "Are you failing?"

Mikan sputters, "No! I'm top of my class-

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. I'm doing just fine in school, thank you for your concern." She covers her face with her book, frowning."

"Reaalllyy?" He drawls. "You're not behind at all? No missing assignments? No overdue essays?"

Mikan blushes and turns sharply, "How did you find out?"

His eyes dance, "You seemed distracted yesterday and I kept hearing a paper rustle so I asked the nurse to read me the paper by the bedside."

Mikan's mouth fell open, "You looked at my stuff? Natsume!"

He held up his hands, "I was…concerned. And curious." There was a moment of silence in which Natsume quietly snickered and Mikan seethed.

"Why didn't you write it?" Mikan turns to see that Natsume was asking seriously with all humor gone from his features. "Did you not have enough time because you stay with me too long?

"No! No. That's not why." She shakes her head.

He waits, not saying anything. Finally she sighs and relents, "I don't know what to write about. It's a personal narrative; I don't have anything to say." She looks away.

He nods in understanding. "How long is it overdue?"

"2 weeks."

"And she said you could make it up? When does she want it?"

"…In a week."

"Write it," he says pinning her down with his voice.

"Natsume…" She starts pleading.

"Write it or I'll feel guilty for keeping you from you work." He says looking away.

She sighs and changes the subject, "How long till they take you away for the examination?"

"One hour till my fate is sealed." He says, still looking away.

She sighs again and decides to read for the next hour. Today was Natsume's eye examination. They wanted to see if he could regain his eye sight with surgery, it wasn't a sure factor but if his rods were unharmed the surgery could do him much good.

When the nurse came to take him away he looked back in Mikan's direction and though he couldn't see her, he knew that all her attention was on him. 'Bye Mikan.' He mouthed.

And then he was gone to face his destiny.

Visiting hours were over but Mikan was still walking aimlessly. She wanted to know what the doctor said to Natsume and couldn't keep her feet from walking towards his door. Was he curable? Would he do the surgery? But most of all is he ok? Is he sad? She wanted to tell him that even if he could never see the world again, she would be his eyes for as long as he wanted. She wanted to console him if he needed it or celebrate with him if that's what was called for.

She knew her feelings for him weren't that of a friend and she knew that they only got stronger every time she saw him. But she couldn't tell him that, not when there was such a strong chance that he didn't feel the same way.

Finally when she saw that it was getting dark outside she gave up with a heavy sigh and walked home.

"And so class, that is why Thoreau's principles are looked upon greatly even today." The woman smiled hugely at the class like she gave them the secret to ruling the world.

Somewhere in the back, a brown haired girl with warm eyes flecked with gold was taking notes and thumping her foot impatiently, occasionally checking the clock and counting the seconds till she could be released from this confinement they called class.

Ding Ding Ding!

The girl was out of her seat and out the door before the bell was over.

"Mikan!" She stopped in her tracks and looked back to see that her English teacher was sticking her head out the door motioning towards her to come back in.

Stifling a groan, Mikan walked back quickly. Her teacher smiled at her, "I see you're in a hurry to get some where."

"Sorry," Mikan mutters.

The teacher shakes her head softly, "its fine, and I'll keep this short. Your personal narrative is due in six days."

Mikan gulps. "Yes."

"Well? Are you almost done?" The teacher smiles kindly.

Mikan doesn't say what she wants to, which is, Yeah, see I haven't even started yet. But instead she says, "Almost, just a few finishing touches."

"I see. That's very good." The teacher remarks.

"Yeah..." Mikan shifts her feet.

"Well that's all I wanted to know. I can't wait to read it. You can go now, sorry for stopping you."

"Its fine," Mikan replies and then slowly walks out. When she's out the door she starts running again, faster then before.

She runs down the halls and out the school door. She had been waiting 18 hours, 21 minutes and 33 seconds to go to the hospital and talk to Natsume.

Mikan usually went to her mom's room and chatted with her for a while and did her homework before heading for Natsume's room. But today she made a right turn that would take her to Natsume's room faster. When she reached the Pediatrics 5th unit she turned to look for his room only to be stopped by a short nurse with red hair and freckles.

"I'm sorry but you aren't allowed without a visitor's pass."

Mikan takes out her pass and the nurse inspects it, "This is for Yuka Yukihara. There is no one here by this name."

"I'm visiting a friend, Hyuga Natsume." Mikan tries to be patient.

"I thought so. Hyuga-kun isn't allowing any visitors today, he told me to especially keep a girl with a high pitched voice away from his room."

Mikan almost choked in surprise, "what? Are you sure? I'm his friend." She says, trying not to show how much the nurse's words hurt her.

The nurse looked sympathetically at Mikan, "I know, he's just not feeling good. He probably doesn't want to talk to anyone."

Mikan blinked at the nurse, did that mean his check-up didn't go well? Mikan thought about pushing past the nurse but then even she had enough pride not to be where she wasn't wanted and Natsume clearly didn't want to see her.

So she dejectedly made her way back and went to her mother's room.

"Hi mom," Mikan said softly and sat on her mom's bed. She tried and failed to sound happy, so instead she talked softly and stroked her mother's soft hand.

"I was thinking about writing my personal narrative on you but then, I don't know, isn't that too personal?" Mikan sighed shakily.

"I didn't get the top position this time, I was second. Tobita beat me by five points." Mikan smiled wryly.

"But I'll get it back next time mom. I'll become a doctor for you." Mikan's eyes glazed as she brushed her fingertips lightly on her mother's cheek.

"Yukihara!" A voice bellows from Mikan's right.

Mikan flinches and turns towards the voice, it's her manager, Rei. "Yes sir?"

"What is this I hear about terrible service from the brown haired waitress?" He barks.

Mikan closes her eyes and massages her forehead before replying, "They were being rude."

Rei's eyes narrow and glow with anger. "You're a waitress; you don't get to decide your customers. You suck it up and serve everyone with a freaking smile."

Mikan's eyes twitch and with tremendous effort she holds her temper and cracks her pride, "I'm sorry."

Rei turns away coldly and goes back into his office, and from her left Mikan could hear wolf whistles from the teenage boys that most likely got her yelled at by her vicious manager.

She takes a breath to control her anger and smiles as the next customer comes inside, greeting them, "Welcome to Persona's noodles."

"What do you mean he doesn't want to see me!? It's been three days!" Mikan yells, unable to stop herself.

"I'm sorry, but that is what Hyuga-kun wants, and we can't go against out patient's wishes." The nurse says in her eerily calm voice that only makes the vein in Mikan's forehead pop.

"He's being a hard headed pig!" She bellows.

"Please, you're disrupting the patients." The nurse continues in the same tone.

"Let me through." Mikan says through her teeth.

"I'm sorry." The nurse turns to block the entrance.

"You don't understand! He's being stupid! That idiot won't tell me anything either." Mikan starts to beg.

"I'm really sorry, but if you ask this anymore, I'm going to have to call security." And with that the nurse dismisses her.

Mikan, knowing she'll burst into tears the moment she sees her mother's still face decides to walk home.

"Dad?" Mikan says as she steps inside the dark house. "Is that you Dad?" Her heart hammering in her chest Mikan feels the wall for the light switch. When she finds it, she switches it on and almost screams out at the sight in front of her.

Lying on the floor was her father. And by him was a broken bottle of what could only be alcohol. She runs to her father's side and shakes him.

"Dad?" She whispers. "Daddy, wake up."

He stirs a little and Mikan lets out a shaky sigh of relief, "come on let's get you off the floor." She heaves her father up and with his arm on her shoulder, drags him to his bed. She runs back to the kitchen and grabs a glass of water.

"Wait dad, drink this and sleep." He drinks half the glass and passes out again.

Feeling exhausted, Mikan walks to her own bed and falls into nightmares.

Ten hours later she awakens with only two hours of sleep. Her nightmares kept her awake most of the night; she dreamed of a hot poker going through Natsume's eyes, her mother waking up and falling off a cliff and she dreamed her father leaving and never coming back. It was only when light started streaming through the window that she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

"Mikan?" her father's soft voice jolted her awake. "Dad! Are you ok? What happened last night?" She sat up in her bed and turned her gaze squarely on her father.

Her father cleared his throat, "Mikan, there's something we need to talk about." Mikan's eyebrows furrow with worry. "What is it dad, is everything ok?"

"Mikan, sweetie, last night.." He sighs heavily, and closes his eyes for a moment. Mikan waits in wretched silence.

"Last night, I lost control, and…and did what I did." He looked away from her as though he couldn't continue bear to see her face.

Mikan took her father's hand and clasped it together with her own, she smiled at him, "Dad, it's ok, everyone has weak moments. The stress was too much to handle, I get it."

Her father closed his eyes and whispered so softly that Mikan had to strain to hear him, "I lost all the money."

Confused, Mikan asked, "What money?"

"My paycheck. This month, and the last month. I gambled it and lost." He looked at his hands with shame.

Mikan stammered, "B-but the money we've been saving up for mom's hospital fees?"

"Your paycheck for the last two months along with mine, I gambled it all away." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "I thought we could get more, I didn't mean for this to happen."

Mikan took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "So, we have no money?"

Her father nodded with embarrassment.

"F-food and apartment rent?" She questioned dazedly.

Her father's eyes brightened for a moment with happiness, "I already paid the apartment rent for the next three months. And for food I think we can manage, as long as we don't buy meat for the next two months."

Mikan was okay with that, she had gone months without eating meat and she was used to eating a single meal a day. She had to be strong; she knew that if she cracked, her father would crumble.

So she smiled up at him, "Then we're ok dad."

Her dad stared at her with shining eyes and looked away, she tightened her hold on his hand, and "we'll get through this. Together." She assured him sounding more positive then she felt.

"You promised to come over tonight. I can't lie to the old woman anymore; she'll eat me alive if she doesn't get to see you Mikan. She's been sad since you stopped coming over." Hotaru said in her whiniest voice, which for Hotaru was her usual monotone drawl with an edge.

"I know, and I'm really sorry. I miss your mom a lot too, especially her cooking. But I can't tonight, I'm working extra shifts." Mikan packs her things slowly into her book bag as an excuse to not look at her best friend, knowing she'll only feel guiltier if she does.

Hotaru's eyes narrow, "Why are you working extra shifts?"

Mikan holds back a wince; trust Hotaru to never miss the mark, "Sara can't work tonight so she asked me to cover for her. And you know I can use the money." Mikan says placing everything in her bag neatly for the third time.

"Mikan look at me." Knowing she can only oblige in this situation, Mikan looks up.

"Why are you working extra shifts?" Hotaru repeats.

"Hotaru I just told y-

"And I heard through your lie."

"Hotaru please." Mikan begs.

Hotaru looks away, "Ok. I get it."

Mikan knew that tone. Hotaru used it only once before. It was when Mikan chose Sumire as her lab partner in seventh grade instead of Hotaru.

She was hurt.

Mikan reached for the girl's shoulder only for her to shrug her hand away, "I didn't mean it like that Hotaru, it's not like I want to hide anything from you. It's just that I don't want to burden you."

"Last time I checked, we told each other everything." Hotaru drawls still looking away.

Mikan sighs in frustration, "I'm trying Hotaru! I have so much going on, and on top of that there's that damn narrative and just, I'm sorry…I'm really sorry."

When Hotaru still didn't turn around Mikan sighed shakily. She was close to breaking down now. Before she could, she turned around and ran out in the rain, not stopping until she reached the hospital double doors.

Without thinking, without so much as stopping, she stalked towards Natsume's room and ran past the red headed nurse. She could feel the nurse behind her call out to her but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. She opened the door with a slam and stepped inside.

Natsume jumped at the sound of the door and turned towards it. "Whose there?"

Mikan wanted to strangle him, "guess, you moron." She said icily.

"Mikan?" He said surprised.

"The girl with the high pitched voice who you didn't want to see for the past 4 days!" She yelled loudly.

"Five days." He said softly.

"Whatever!" She snapped. She breathed heavily as she looked at him. He seemed so calm and serene. It drove her nuts.

Suddenly the door opened and the redhead nurse came inside, "Natsume-kun, I'm sorry I told her you didn't want to see her. I'll take her away right now." The nurse grabbed Mikan's arm and started pulling her away with force.

Mikan was about to yell at her but Natsume beat her to it, "Stop!"

The nurse looked at him in surprise; he regarded the door angrily, probably guessing that's where she was standing. "Let her go."

The nurse stammered, "But you said-

"Leave," He says coldly and with a wince, she obliged.

Mikan watches her leave and close the door behind her, then slowly turns back to the beautiful boy with the burning red eyes.

"Did she hurt you?" He asks her.

It was the last thing she expected him to say, "What? No, no she didn't."

Not knowing what else to do she walks up to his bedside and sits in her usual chair by him.

A moment passes before she asks softly, "Why didn't you want to see me?"

Natsume turns his head towards the ceiling, "I talked to the doctor that day I last saw you." He says quietly.

Mikan can't help ask, "What did he say?"

Natsume closes his eyes and slouches against the bed, "He said there's a fifty percent chance of the surgery. My cones are damaged badly."

Mikan processes this, "so you're going to take the chance?"

Natsume grimaced with his eyes still closed, "he also said that my vision could recover spontaneously within ten or twenty years. But it wouldn't be normal, I would still see blurs and some days I would only see a wobbly vision."

Mikan eyes filled with confusion, "Wait so within ten to twenty years you would be able to see without surgery? Why don't you do the surgery and then if it doesn't work, it's ok, you'll be able to see in ten years time or so." Mikan said feeling happier then she had in days.

Natsume opened his eyes and looked towards her, and even if there eyes couldn't meet or see, she still read the expression in them like a book, so she already knew what was coming next when he said, "the surgery is a one time thing only. If I can't see after it's performed then I'll be blind for the rest of my life."

Mikan almost fell off of her chair, "You denied surgery then, right? Please, please tell me you did."

Natsume shook his head, no.

"Natsume! Why? You'll be able to see one day! But with this, there's no hope of it." Mikan cried out loud.

"It's a fifty-fifty chance." He muttered.

"Yeah but there is also a one hundred percent chance! Natsume, how could you be so stupid?!" She pierced him with madness evident all over her face.

"This is why I didn't want to see you, you would weaken my resolve." He said in exasperation.

"Damn straight! Why would you even decide on something like this?"

"Because of you, you dumb girl!" He yelled so loudly, she was sure the entire hospital heard it.

She gaped at him, at a loss of words for once in her life. Finally, she stammered, "B-but why?"

His eyes softened and he shook his head before saying in a tender voice that she had never heard, "if you haven't figured out why by now then you must be a bigger blockhead then I gave you credit for."

He started getting up and shifting on the bed. Mikan got up ready to help if he needed it. His arm slipped and he almost toppled off the bed to the floor but Mikan caught him by the shoulders and he hoisted himself on the bed. Just as she was about to let go, he circled his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He took his right hand and started tracing her feature hastily, like he was looking for something. When his fingers touched her lips, instead of pulling away like he did last time, he brushed his fingers against them softly.

Then pulled her down and met her lips with his. He kissed her tenderly, being gentle with her, like she was fragile glass that could break with just a little force. She would've fallen to the floor if it wasn't for his strong grasp on her waist. She melted into his arms and they both fit each other like a puzzle.

When they broke apart, he put his hand on the back of her head and touched their foreheads together. "I want to see you." He said searching her features with his hand again.

Mikan blushed crimson, "I'm nothing special. You might be disappointed." She looked away.

"I have a feeling you're beautiful." He continued to trace her, "I want to see. I want to see what the color of your eyes is, how you look like when you're mad, how your smile is when you're happy." He stopped tracing and let her go.

"And for that, I'm willing to bet on a fifty-fifty." Natsume said evenly. She felt tears spring to her eyes, but she held them back, she's been holding them back for a week, she could do it for a few more hours.

"I'll be here," she says gently. He turns to her. "I'll be here whether you can see me or not. I'll be your eyes if yours don't see," she smiles at him tenderly.

He smiles at her with an adoring expression in his eyes and she knew that she was going to fall in love with this boy whether he could see or not.

Mikan left Natsume's room feeling heavy. She was carrying all the stress from school and Natsume and her dad that she knew she would burst soon. She needed to get home.

Mikan made her way to the elevator but instead of pressing the ground floor, she unconsciously pressed the 22nd floor. Her mother's room was on that floor. The elevator had already starting going up by the time she realized that she was heading the wrong way.

When it stopped on the floor, Mikan got out instead of going down. She made her way to her mother's room mechanically.

This time she didn't stop like she usually did in front of the room to catch her breath or add cheeriness into her voice, she continued on.

The doctors had told her for the past two years that her mother would wake up. They didn't know when but they believed she would one day. They had told her to talk to her lightly, to be there for her and give her strength and reassurance that she would be there when she woke up. She had done so for the past two years, not slipping up once.

"Hi mom." She says as is her routine and sits on her mother's bed and grasps her hand.

"Natsume kissed me today." She says lightly and then laughs a little.

"It's my first kiss, mom." Mikan takes a deep breath.

"He's going into surgery next week mom. He could be blind for life. He says he wants to see me." She says hysterically now.

"I think I'm going to fall in love with him." She says softly now.

"Hotaru's mad at me; I haven't been a very good friend." She starts playing with her mom's fingers now.

"My manager yelled at me for the sixth time the other day. I'm falling behind in school and remember that narrative I told you about? It's due tomorrow." Mikan's eyes glaze over and her fingers start to shake in her mother's hand. She tried to control it but she wasn't strong enough.

"Dad lost all the money gambling, we barely have enough food for a single meal in the day and we're straining with the hospital fees," she knew she was in dangerous territory now but she couldn't stop. She didn't know what it was but everything was flowing out. Maybe it was the nightmares, or the money situation, or the narrative! She didn't know. But she couldn't stop.

"And every day that I come here with hope that today, maybe today's the day you wake up, I'm always rejected. I know it's not your fault but mom with every passing day that you go on like this, it makes me think, maybe she doesn't want to wake up." Tears start falling down Mikan's pink cheeks.

"I don't want to keep you here if you don't want to be here. I want to let you go if that's what you want. But maybe I'm selfish, because even now I think, tomorrow, tomorrow I'll let her go. Tomorrow I'll stop having a mom." She takes a deep breath and cries softly before continuing.

"But mom even though you're here it's the same as you not being here. I want you mom! Not a breathing mom but you, who makes me breakfast, wakes me up with a kiss and talks to me about secrets! I want to talk to you mom. I wanted you to be my mom. I wanted you to be there for my first kiss, my awards for first place, I wanted you to be there with me." Mikan takes another deep breath to calm her.

"But that's what I want. And I can see that what you want is freedom, from this world, from life, from me." She chokes on the last word.

"So I'll let you go mom. I'll face life alone if it makes you happy. Just know that wherever you are, I love you. And I miss you, so much." Mikan gives her mom's hand one last squeeze and kisses her forehead. She wipes her tears and breathes deeply.

Then as she is about to leave, she hears a voice that she thought she forgot, it's a soft voice, coated in gentleness and childhood memories. She turns around in surprise and locks eyes with warm brown ones filled with gold specks. Eyes which are identical to hers.

_Mikan Yukihara, Personal Narrative._

_I walk out into the bright sun and breathe in the fresh air coming from the oak trees. I touch the barks of the oak trees and close my eyes feeling the wind play with my hair, I think about a time not too long a go when the world was simple and beautiful. When the largest building in my world was the play ground and I smile. _

_I turn and look into the eyes of my mother. She smiles at me and in my mind's eye; I see a past where her smile meant so many promises. Amusement, Endearment, Wonder, Sadness, Strength, and Love. I smile back and try to replicate all the feelings she gave me with her one smile. We smile at each other and take one another in, trying to see what marks time has left on each of us, how the other has changed when we weren't looking. _

_She's not the same woman in my memories, she's older, more graceful and gentle, but also sadder and I know that it will take another few years for that sadness to completely disappear, and even then, it might not, for some marks that time leaves, often turn to scars._

_And scars do not disappear easily. _

_She takes me in too and I can almost see what she can, a girl on the verge of womanhood, with eyes too bright and hair too messy. Wild hair and pink cheeks. A woman in the place of the girl she once knew._

_My sight sees her in a past echo despite her being in front of me, and I know it will be a while before either of us starts living in the present and not a past sight._

_I watch as my mother smiles widely and join me by the oak trees._

**A/N: So here it is, I turned it into a two shot since you guys wanted me to continue. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes; I've been working on it for six and a half hours straight. I seriously got back from collage and started writing like a mad woman. Sorry if it's not what you wanted. I wanted to leave it as a more of an open ending since the story was originally supposed to be as such. But I hope you guys liked it…please don't kill me! Fingers Crossed. And thanx for the reviews guys, I would check my email every five minutes to see if I got a review!**


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